An old watercolor painting originally bought for £100 will sell at auction for £30,000 – after it turned out to be by artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.
The photo – of Bishop Vaughan’s chapel at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales – was purchased in the early 1990s during a clearing of photographs from a Georgian country house in Suffolk.
It was purchased for just £100 and remained largely unnoticed on the new owner’s wall for the next 30 years.
But after the buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered a hidden inscription reading ‘W Turner’ on the back of the painting, experts were able to confirm its artistry.
It is now expected to sell for between £20,000 and £30,000 when it is auctioned at Cheffins in Cambridge on March 20.
An old watercolor painting originally bought for £100 is set to sell at auction for £30,000 – after it turned out to be by artist Joseph Mallord William Turner
The owner said: ‘The painting had hung in our dining room for over thirty years – we regularly discussed that the picture could be of Turner but did not pursue it further.
‘After a trip to Wales in the autumn of 2022, during which we visited St. David’s Cathedral, our interest in our photo was reignited. As we were aware of the recent sale of a Turner at Cheffins, we decided to contact them.”
Born in 1775, Turner was an English Romantic painter known for his paintings of the country’s landscapes
Patricia Cross of Cheffins said: ‘This piece is an important new discovery that provides a glimpse into Turner’s early development as an artist.’
Born in 1775, Turner was an English Romantic painter known for his paintings of the country’s landscapes and architecture.
Turner toured Wales in 1795 at the age of 20 and is known to have visited St Davids – at which time he is said to have worked on the painting.
The talented artist began exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy when he was just 15, leaving behind more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolors and 30,000 works on paper – many of which he donated to the nation.
Some of his famous works include ‘Frosty Morning’, ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’ and depictions of Venice and the Battle of Trafalgar.
The owner became intrigued by the painting’s provenance when he noticed the telling inscription on the back.
The photo – of Bishop Vaughan’s chapel at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales (pictured) – was purchased in the early 1990s during a clearing of photographs from a Georgian country house in Suffolk.
They then found a similar work by Turner online in the South Wales Sketchbook, although this was less developed, and visited St David’s Cathedral.
However, it remained difficult to decipher as the chapel had undergone repair work since Turner had been there – and it seemed as if he had agreed to the perspective.
After taking the painting to Cheffins auction house in Cambridge, Turner expert Andrew Wilton was called in.
Wilton is the former director of the Turner Collection at Tate Britain and confirmed that the painting was indeed a Turner.
Its whereabouts were unknown for the 200 years prior to the sale.
Some of Turner’s paintings, such as his 1798 depiction of Caenarvon Castle, have sold for almost £500,000.
JMW Turner’s ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ (1839) and ‘The Steamer and Lightship’ at Tate Britain
This is not the first time that a seemingly worthless painting has been discovered to be worth a secret fortune.
Last year, an Antiques Roadshow guest was shocked after it emerged that a painting that had been in his family’s possession for 65 years was a David Hockney original.
Art expert Rupert Maas confirmed the painting was by the British artist and called it an ‘extraordinary story’ during the show which was filmed at Belmont House, near Faversham in Kent.
The painting actually turned out to be worth between £20,000 and £30,000.